Hawthorne, CA Parking Rules: Overnight Parking (2026)

Hawthorne does not impose a blanket overnight parking prohibition on ordinary passenger vehicles citywide the way some California cities do. Instead, overnight parking is shaped by several overlapping rules in Hawthorne Municipal Code Title 10 and California law. First, no vehicle may stand in the same spot on a public street for more than 72 consecutive hours; this mirrors California Vehicle Code 22651(k), which authorizes removal of a vehicle left for 72 or more hours under a local ordinance. To reset the clock the vehicle must actually be moved. Second, posted street-sweeping signs prohibit overnight or early-morning parking on the scheduled day, and the Hawthorne Police Department enforces these. Third, the city designates preferential (permit) parking zones under HMC Chapter 10.38 where only residents with permits may park during restricted hours. Oversized vehicles and RVs face the strictest overnight treatment: under HMC 10.36.190 they may not be stored on residential streets and are limited to 48 hours (up to 72 with a police extension). Drivers parking overnight should confirm the posted block signage, since timed and permit zones routinely restrict overnight parking even where no general ban exists.